Crying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of life's problems. And boy does this movie make me cry! I was watching this on my phone in the doctor's waiting room and I was biting my tongue go hard trying not to spill tears. 

When this movie came out in 2015, my daughter was about 18 months old, too I've resonated with this movie from the beginning. I was also a big fan of Pixar Animation Studios back then, as they were still consistently churning out solid emotional hits as good as Toy Story and Ratatouille. 

Re-watching this movie now, seven years later, it was probably even harder to watch as my kids have collected their own core memories and developed their own behaviors and personalities. I can tell you which emotion rules their inner headquarters - just as I can tell you which one rules mine and my wife's. 

Some movies are timeless, some are flawless, but this one is the only one I can think of that I consider to be pure ingenious. Not only is it one of the most emotional movies I've seen, but it's the smartest. Physchologists love this movie, as it puts words and images to something so hard to explain to anyone young or old - our emotions. 

If you haven't seen this movie, go fix that this vey minute. Prepare yourself for one of the most unique film experiences of your life. And make sure you're alone, unless you don't mind crying in public. 

Inside Out stars the voice talents of Amy Pohler, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, and Lewis Black. It was written by Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen, and Meg LeFauve. It was directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Ronnie Del Carmen. On Rotten Tomatoes, Inside Out has an impressive critics' score of 89% and an audience score of 89%, which I consider to be strangely low. 

With me today, I have with me Doctor Michele Wright, who was the USA Today Woman of the Year for Arkansas, winner of the Global Leadership Award for Nations of Women Change Makers in 2021, amongst many other accolades and accomplishments. If I were to list them all, we'd be here all day, so Michele, please introduce yourself to our listeners by telling everyone a little about yourself, what you do for work, and for fun. 

Questions About the Movie:

1. Tell me a little bit about the process of getting the Water Tales made, and how it had to do with the movie Inside Out. 
2. What about Inside Out speaks to you the most? 
3. Anger, Disgust, Fear, and Sadness tend to all be negative emotions. Isn't it interesting that the one positive emotion we have is Joy? Yet, that's the one we're all chasing after. Can you explain how we can find positivity in all the other emotions? 
4.  This movie is filled with lasts. Riley's last goofy moment with her parents, her last hockey game in Michigan, her last time playing with her friend... we often miss those last moments in our own lives. Is there any way we can clock those for posterity? 
5. The scene with the mom and dad's differing emotions and thoughts is pretty hilarious and accurate to my life. In what ways do you and Terry have different trains of thought where you're not communicating properly? How do you go about correcting this?
6. Without any pun intended, this is a highly emotional movie. What part, if any, moves you the most?

Questions for Application

1. Did you go through any life-changing seasons like Riley did in the movie? How did you respond to the changes? 
2. There are no antagonists in the movie, but at one point Mom says, "If you could keep smiling it would be a big help." How can sentences like this be damaging to children? 
3. Did you have an imaginary friend like Bing Bong? If so, do you think imaginary friends are beneficial to children? 
4. This movie is about rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep, which is a Bible verse taken straight out of Romans. How do you see this pertaining to real life? 

I finish up this episode by asking Michele 5 questions about the movie.

You can check out Michele's Water Tales podcast here.
And you can find more about Michele and The Water Tales here: www.mywaterbuddy.com
Michele's Instagram

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This episode was sponsored by Spur Creative